Controversy has surrounded the project, not least because of the speed of the excavation in which bulldozers have cut a 100-yard trench through some of the densely populated districts of Luxor.

Foreign archeologists say historical buildings have been demolished to make way for a lucrative new attraction.

“The whole thing is a disgrace,” said an American archeologist, who declined to be named because of fears of reprisals from Egyptian officials. “The work is being done in a big rush to get the place ready for tourism. Several very special buildings have been destroyed on purpose. They’re murdering the soul of the place.”

The dispute has drawn in Unesco, which has responsibility for world heritage sites such as the Luxor and Karnak temples at each end of the avenue. It accused Egypt of bulldozing potentially significant ruins in a rush to get the job done. “It is inconceivable that such an enormous expanse of the avenue was thoroughly excavated and recorded in such a short period of time,” Unesco has complained. “Heavy machinery was obviously used, as betrayed by the levelling of the soil and the marks on some of the stone blocks.”